Statewide Star Party 2020: Friday, November 13

Join us for our virtual statewide star party! Eventbrite registration link at the bottom of the page or click the button below.

Register Now

Friday, November 13
7–10 pm

7 pm: Out with a Bang! Year-end Sky Delights for 2020

Bob King ‘Astrobob’ | Amateur astronomer and writer

Some of the best and brightest sky happenings lie ahead including a lunar eclipse, the Geminid meteor shower and the closest conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn since 1623. We’ll talk about how best to see and enjoy them.

Bob King fell in love with the night sky and astronomy when he was a kid growing up in Illinois and loves to share his passion with people of all ages. Bob was a photographer and photo editor at the Duluth News Tribune for 39 years before retiring from the paper in 2018. When he’s not outside looking at comets and galaxies, he writes the astronomy blog Astro Bob as well as articles for Sky & Telescope magazine and its website. He’s taught community education astronomy classes at the University of Minnesota-Duluth planetarium for many years.

His books Night Sky with the Naked Eye and Wonders of the Night Sky You Must See Before You Die describe the joys of skywatching. Bob’s third book, Urban Legends of Space, examines science vs. pseudoscience in astronomy. “The greatest wilderness is the one over your head — you only need to look up.”

8 pm: Family Story Time and Activities

Rachel Heinrich | Ely Public Library

Dee Mclellan | NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador

Join us for a reading of The Stars Just Up the Street by Sue Soltis, by our partners from the Ely Public Library. Afterward, Dee Mclellan, a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, will show us how to put together a 3D constellation mobile. Check out the activity under the activities tab and prepare your materials ahead of time so that you and your family can make it along with us!

8:45 pm: Live Telescope Observing: Guest Host Jessica Rogers

Jessica Rogers | Director at University of Minnesota – Duluth’s Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium

Grab your star map, sit back, and enjoy a tour of the night sky—live! Virtual star parties, happening every night this week, will allow you to see the wonders of the night sky from telescopes directly broadcasted to your screens. Our team and partners around the state will take you on a tour of the night sky and show you celestial objects from our solar system and beyond!

Visit the link below to return to the 2020 Statewide Star Party main event page.

Statewide Star Party Info

Accessibility: All programs will be captioned and all keynotes will be live captioned; ASL interpreters available upon request. Please contact the accessibility office at 612-624-4268 or bellaccess@umn.edu.

Special thank you to Ruth and John Huss for their generous support.

The Statewide Star Party is funded in part by